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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who wrote "On the Pleasure of Hating"?
(a) Charles Lamb.
(b) Michel de Montaigne.
(c) William Hazlitt.
(d) Sei Shonagon.

2. Who is the subject of Chapter 2 in the book?
(a) Seneca.
(b) Mark Twain.
(c) Kenko.
(d) Michel de Montaigne.

3. Who wrote "A Chapter on Ears?"
(a) Plutarch.
(b) Maria Edgeworth.
(c) Charles Lamb.
(d) Abraham Cowley.

4. In "Of Books," why does Montaigne quote other writers?
(a) To further expand upon points he is making.
(b) To include love poetry for his most important reader, his wife.
(c) To provide fanciful stories that break up the monotony of the personal essay.
(d) To show how inferior other authors' works are to his own.

5. Ou-Yank Hsiu is considered one of eight what?
(a) Masters of classical prose.
(b) Master playwrights.
(c) Foreign diplomats.
(d) Famous outlaws.

6. How did Seneca die?
(a) He died in old age of natural causes.
(b) He took his own life.
(c) He died from an asthma attack.
(d) He choked on a chicken bone.

7. What physical condition does Seneca discuss in a titular essay?
(a) Asthma.
(b) Leprosy.
(c) Blindness.
(d) Rickets.

8. Who raised Charles Lamb?
(a) His grandmother.
(b) His uncle.
(c) The state.
(d) His older sister.

9. What political party did Abraham Cowley support?
(a) Tories.
(b) Liberals.
(c) Whigs.
(d) Royalists.

10. What BEST describes the writing styles of Richard Steele and Joseph Addison?
(a) Addison is spontaneous, while Steele is polished.
(b) Both men are polished.
(c) Both men are spontaneous.
(d) Addison is polished, while Steele is spontaneous.

11. What place does Seneca describe in "Scipio's Villa?"
(a) The arena.
(b) The farm.
(c) The palace.
(d) The temple.

12. In addition to a personal essayist, what kind of essayist is Samuel Johnson.
(a) Anti-intellectual essayist.
(b) Impersonal essayist.
(c) Progressive essayist.
(d) Moral essayist.

13. Which of the following labels BEST describe the writings of Montaigne?
(a) Proto-feminist.
(b) Anti-individualist.
(c) Ultra-conservative.
(d) Deconstructivist.

14. Which is NOT one of the essays written by Ou-Yank Hsiu?
(a) "Farewell to Yang Shih"
(b) "My Three Zithers"
(c) "Essays in Idleness"
(d) "Old Drunkard's Pavilion"

15. What is unusual about Montaigne's first book, as opposed to any books thereafter?
(a) His first book was the only one published in his lifetime.
(b) His first book was the only one of a personal nature.
(c) His first book was the only commercially successful book.
(d) His first book was not of a personal nature.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the profession of Seneca the Younger's father?

2. How did Montaigne's father treat Montaigne?

3. What is Montaigne's general view of humanity?

4. Why did William Hazlitt decide to abandon painting for poetry?

5. When was Seneca the Younger born?

(see the answer keys)

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